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Got my Class A CDL learner's permit today

The last month has been interesting.
It's been the slowest winter for business that we have ever seen.
We have some friends that own a nearby trucking company and one of their drivers injured a finger back in February.
They needed someone to help him with tarping and strapping loads so I offered to help.
The owners told me I have a golden opportunity to get a CDL with this arrangement. They don't train drivers but the injured driver could train me while I'm helping him on the road.
We are hauling with 18 wheelers using mostly side kits/tarps and low-boy step trailers.
It's turning out to be pretty interesting work and decided to try for my CDL.

I've been on overnite runs to NY a number of times already. Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, Manchester, Geneseo and a bunch of other towns I don't remember.
Delivered light poles to the Battery Park renovations near Ground Zero. That was great being on Broadway with an 18 wheeler. We left at 0300 that morning to beat the traffic.
After jumping through a bunch of hoops with the state of Pa and getting conflicting information from different PennDOT employees, I got all my paperwork lined up, and then took and passed my Class A knowledge test and air brakes test.

I've been driving on private property for the past few weeks and Monday I start on the public roads.
Some things are familiar as I've been driving large fire apparatus for awhile but its definitely different with a combination vehicle vs a straight truck.

The nice thing about this job is that I will have flexible hours to work in the smithy and with the bees.

Re: Got my Class A CDL learner's permit today

Sounds great. I have had one since they started them, got grandfathered and didn't have to take the driving test. 8) Personally I can't wait to retire and get rid of this thing. Between the drug screens and physicals it gets old.

Re: Got my Class A CDL learner's permit today

Originally Posted by oblib

I always enjoyed driving a truck except for the time away from home, if you are OTR, gets real old real quick.

Yep, it's a hard life and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. There's a lot of crazies out there you have to look out for. Plus being lost all the time and hateful receivers and shippers gets old quick. But I always liked the driving part (except for NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, etc.).

Re: Got my Class A CDL learner's permit today

I've had some good road time since this thread started.
The down shifting has gotten better so that I don't have as many train wrecks like I first did.

I feel for you OTR guys and would never want to do that at this stage of my life.
Fortunately I'm going to be doing local runs within 100 miles or so.
This is one of the rigs I've been driving.
I was not wheeling the over sized load.
The collage was shot while waiting to be loaded at Morton Salt in NY.

Re: Got my Class A CDL learner's permit today

Allen, are you ready to haul some bees? Sometimes I haul small loads on a 22 ft flatbed about 100 miles or so, even that can be an adventure at times. An 18 wheeler full of bees going cross country is more than I can imagine, but certainly there are guys who can do it.

Dont tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have travelled. - The Quran

Re: Got my Class A CDL learner's permit today

Seen every square inch of the continental U.S., mostly at 80+ mph. 10 years, 3 million miles.

Get your sleep. Period.

Have the body clock of a five year old 8 years after parking my last ride. Not worth drawing that many comic books.

Rule #1 to bumper cars, biggest car wins. The knuckleheads out there may bounce off you, if you try to dodge, you will do ten times the amount of damage going sideways. Don't swerve, just find a way to slow down. Sounds rude, difference is perspective of weight. 17 miles north of NY City @3:30 on a Friday afternoon, I swerved and tried to avoid the idiot. My trailer being too wide for the road as it came around me, rode up the guard rail and over the top, bumper being clipped off by North bound traffic and never found, I came to rest against the guardrail with my tractor tandems under it staring down a 150 ft drop. He clipped my steer tire and didn't know it, broke the steer linkage and held on for a ride in the rain, not fun!
6 months to get the tape out of State of CT's hands and in front of judge, case immediately dismissed from $134,000 damage to light pole and guard rail, plus plus plus.

Lawyers are expensive, so are fines and tickets. And stay far far away from the lot lizards!!!

Favorite thing to do was to ask locals, "If I never get back this way again, what is the one thing I have to see here".. Interesting answers sometimes, usually worth a few minutes.

Wife knows better than to ask me while driving four wheeler where I want to eat, Nebraska (Lincoln) for dessert, pecan pie homemade, Deuce Street for cheese n steak grinder, and Jersey for white pie with spinach and gorgonzola to take home!!

Re: Got my Class A CDL learner's permit today

That must have been quite a ride...
Glad you're ok.

A few days ago we hauled a loaded trailer with side kit to Greenville, NC, met one of the other drivers and swapped his step deck for ours.
Didn't get to see NC during the daytime but WV looked awesome with all the red bud trees blooming.
Am having a blast doing this so far.
And, I have a job.
My boss feels I'm ready for my test but I still want to practice my backing some more.

This is what I was hauling today. The tall part is about 9' high.
Only went 30'ish miles from the sand blaster back to the refurb plant.
First time driving with that type of load. Felt stable but I still took it easy.

Re: Got my Class A CDL learner's permit today

Thanks.

I have been running my bees back and forth using my 20 foot gooseneck trailer and am quite comfortable backing that up over quarter mile. Actually been practicing that on a curved roadway. The curve is to blind side but its not a sharp curve. I just keep my eyes on the edge of road and keep tires about 3 inches from edge till I am around it at idle speed with my truck. It has 5.13 gearing so idle speed in reverse is literally crawling. Get out and look is most critical. I learned that the hard way with this gooseneck trailer and hitting trees backip up when you cant see much. It takes more time and is a PITA, but then again its a bigger PITA if you back over someone on a bike or pedestrian.

Re: Got my Class A CDL learner's permit today

I was in Ithaca, NY on Thurs morning and went to Bellows Falls, Vt via Bennington and up over Hogback Mtn later that day.
Went to White River Junction Fri morning and then home.
Vermont is very picturesque.

Re: Got my Class A CDL learner's permit today

Sorry I missed your question, I've been working a lot. And my bees didn't get the attention that they should have. I still like driving but don't like doing the overnights. That doesn't happen often but being a part-timer I do blacksmithing as soon as I get home for the day.And the overnights sort of mess things up.
We were down several drivers and had an increased work load. Some new drivers were hired and the workload has eased up a bit.
Here is an early morning iPhone shot of Smokebomb.
The original was clearer than this one for some reason.